Does anyone know how to picking a spelling curriculim to fit the learner? (Sequential Spelling vs. All About Spelling)

I have an 8 year old that is a wonderful reader but an awful speller. I have homeschooled her from pre-school. I have dyslexia but so far I have not seen reason to believe she has it. She had a 5th grade reading level when tested at the beginning of this school year (Oct. 2011) when she would have been at the beginning of 3rd grade if enrolled in school, but her spelling level was at the 2nd grade level. What I used to teach reading was "The Scaredy Cat Reading System." My daughter picked up on reading with it very quickly and took off. We used level 1 & 2 of Scaredy Cat; Level 3 didn't seem as good and we switched to just using Spectrum workbooks for Grammar this past year. I would simply take spelling words from words she would get wrong in her writing. I know we need to do more in spelling because she is just not taking off in that area yet and Scaredy Cat seemed to use both methods of word patterns & spelling rules. That got us through the basics.
I think I learned spelling by the pattern method in LD classes (but I am not very good at spelling). However, I have found the rules part of the Scaredy Cat program and Spectrum workbooks to be the most understandable and helpful to me as I teach her but I need what will work best for her not me. I am looking over the All about Spelling (AAS) and Sequential Spelling (SS). Some have said the SS = patterns & AAS = rules. How do I figure out which would be best for her?
Any helpful insights?
Does anyone know how to determine w

Answers (1)

I would suggest that you look into the Wilson Language Reading Writing program. It is a multi-sensory approach to reading, writing, and spelling. My district uses it for children who struggle. We also use Fundations daily in our K-3 programs. When I became certified in Level I Wilson Language, there were quite a few parents who bought the program to help their children who were showing signs of dyslexia or difficulties with reading, writing, and spelling. You can check out the website to get more information. Best of luck to you and your daughter. I wish more parents were as proactive as you!